Before version 2.0 of JavaFX, developers used a statically typed, declarative language called JavaFX Script to build JavaFX applications. Because JavaFX Script was compiled to Java bytecode, programmers could also use Java code instead. JavaFX applications could run on any desktop that could run Java SE, on any browser that could run Java EE, or on any mobile phone that could run Java ME.

JavaFX 2.0 and later is implemented as a native Java library and applications using JavaFX are written in native Java code. JavaFX Script has been scrapped by Oracle, but development is being continued in the Visage project.[4] JavaFX 2.x does not support the Solaris operating system or mobile phones; however as Oracle plans to integrate JavaFX to Java SE embedded 8, Java FX for ARM processors is in developer preview phase.[5]

JavaFX 1.1 was based on the concept of a "common profile" that is intended to span across all devices supported by JavaFX. This approach makes it possible for developers to use a common programming model while building an application targeted for both desktop and mobile devices and to share much of the code, graphics assets and content between desktop and mobile versions.

To address the need for tuning applications on a specific class of devices, the JavaFX 1.1 platform includes APIs that are desktop or mobile-specific. For example JavaFX Desktop profile includes Swing and advanced visual effects.

Drag-to-Install

From the point of view of the end user "Drag-to-Install" allows them to drag a JavaFX widget (or application residing in a website and is visible within the browser window) and drop it onto their desktop. The application will not lose its state or context even after the browser is closed. An application can also be re-launched by clicking on a shortcut that gets created automatically on the user's desktop.

This behavior is enabled out-of-the-box by the Java applet mechanism since Java 6 update 10 and is leveraged by JavaFX from the underlying Java layer.

Sun touts "Drag-to-Install" as opening up of a new distribution model and allowing developers to "break away from the browser".

Integrating graphics created with third-party tools

JavaFX 1.x included a set of plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator that enable advanced graphics to be integrated directly into JavaFX applications. The plug-ins generate JavaFX Script code that preserves layers and structure of the graphics. Developers can then easily add animation or effects to the static graphics imported.

There was also an SVG graphics converter tool (a.k.a. Media Factory) that allows for importing graphics and previewing assets after the conversion to JavaFX format.

Sun Microsystems licensed a custom typeface called Amble for use on JavaFX powered devices. The font family was designed by mobileuser interface design specialists Punchcut and is available as part of the JavaFX SDK 1.3 Release.

The JavaFX SDK: runtime tools. Graphics, media web services, and rich text libraries. Java FX 1.x also included JavaFX compiler, which is now obsolete as JavaFX user code is written in Java.

NetBeans IDE for JavaFX: NetBeans with drag-and-drop palette to add objects with transformations, effects and animations plus a set of samples and best practices. For JavaFX 2 support you need at least NetBeans 7.1.1 . For Eclipse users there is a community-supported plugin hosted on Project Kenai.

Java FX scene builder: This was introduced for Java FX 2.1 and later. A user interface (UI) is created by dragging and dropping controls from a palette. This information is saved as an FXML file, a special XML format.

Tools and plugins for creative tools (a.k.a. Production Suite): Plugins for Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator that can export graphics assets to JavaFX Script code, tools to convert SVG graphics into JavaFX Script code and preview assets converted to JavaFX from other tools (currently not supported in JavaFX 2.x versions)

JavaFX Mobile was the implementation of the JavaFX platform for rich Internet applications aimed at mobile devices. JavaFX Mobile 1.x applications can be developed in the same language, JavaFX Script, as JavaFX 1.x applications for browser or desktop, and using the same tools: JavaFX SDK and the JavaFX Production Suite. This concept makes it possible to share code-base and graphics assets for desktop and mobile applications. Through integration with Java ME, the JavaFX applications have access to capabilities of the underlying handset, such as the filesystem, camera, GPS, bluetooth or accelerometer.

JavaFX Mobile was publicly available as part of the JavaFX 1.1 release announced by Sun Microsystems on February 12, 2009.

Sun planned to enable out-of-the-box support of JavaFX on the devices by working with handset manufacturers and mobile operators to preload the JavaFX Mobile runtime on the handsets. JavaFX Mobile running on an Android was demonstrated at JavaOne 2008 and selected partnerships (incl. LG Electronics, Sony Ericsson) were announced at the JavaFX Mobile launch in February, 2009.

Together with several partners as Canoo Engineering (UltraLightClient), Sun presented JavaFX in action on the latest mobile hardware devices at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, 16–19 February 2009. One of the first applications running on a mobile device was Music Pinboard Mobile. These plans were withdrawn with the release of JavaFX 2.x which dropped support of JavaFX Script and JavaFX mobile; the last JavaFX mobile was version 1.2.

In May 2008 Sun Microsystems announced plans to deliver JavaFX for the browser and desktop by the third quarter of 2008, and JavaFX for mobile devices in the second quarter of 2009. Sun also announced a multi-year agreement with On2 Technologies to bring comprehensive video capabilities to the JavaFX product family using the company's TrueMotionVideo codec. Since end of July 2008, developers could download a preview of the JavaFX SDK for Windows and Macintosh, as well as the JavaFX plugin for NetBeans 6.1.

Major releases since JavaFX 1.1 have a release name based on a street or neighborhood in San Francisco. Update releases typically do not have a release name.[9]

JavaFX runtime turning to be platform specific, utilizing system capabilities, as video codec available on the system ; instead of implementing only one crossplatform runtime as with JavaFX 1.x .

Various improvements have been made within the JavaFX libraries for multithreading. The Task APIs have been updated to support much more concise threading capabilities (i.e. the JavaTaskBase class is no longer necessary since all the APIs are in Java, and the requirement to have a callback interface and Java implementation class are no longer necessary). In addition, the scene graph has been designed to allow scenes to be constructed on background threads and then attached to "live" scenes in a threadsafe manner.

On May 26, 2011, Oracle released the JavaFX 2.0 Beta. The beta release was only made available for 32 and 64 bit versions of Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. An Early Access version for Mac OS X was also available for members of the JavaFX Partner Program at the time, while Linux support was planned for a future release of JavaFX. JavaFX 2.0 was released with only Windows support. Mac OS X support was added with JavaFX 2.1 .Linux Support was added with JavaFX 2.2 .

JavaFX 2.0 makes use of a new declarative XML language called FXML.[12][13]

On August 14, 2012, Oracle released version 2.2 of JavaFX,[16] which includes the following main features:[17]

Linux support (including plugin and webstart)

Canvas

New controls: Color Picker, Pagination

HTTP Live Streaming support

Touch events and gestures

Image manipulation API

Native Packaging

JavaFX 2.2 adds new packaging option called Native Packaging, allowing packaging of an application as a "native bundle". This gives users a way to install and run an application without any external dependencies on a system JRE or FX SDK.

As of Oracle Java SE 7 update 6 and Java FX 2.2, JavaFX is bundled to be installed with Oracle Java SE platform.[18]

As of March 2014 JavaFX is deployed on Windows, Mac OS X, and Desktop Linux.[25] Oracle has an internal port of JavaFX on iOS and Android Linux.[26][27] Support for ARM is available starting with JavaFX 8[1] On February 11, 2013, Richard Bair, chief architect of the Client Java Platform at Oracle, announced that Oracle would open source the iOS and Android implementations of its JavaFX platform in the next two months.[28][29] Starting with version 8u33 of JDK for ARM, JavaFX support has been removed.[30] Support will continue for x86-based architectures.[31]

During development, Sun explained they will roll out their strategy for the JavaFX licensing model for JavaFX first release.[35] After the release, Jeet Kaul, Sun's Vice president for Client Software, explained that they will soon publish a specification for JavaFX and its associated file formats, and will continue to open source the JavaFX runtime, and decouple this core from the proprietary parts licensed by external parties.[36]

^Meyer, David (2011-10-06). "JavaFX 2.0 arrives and heads for open source". ZDNet. Retrieved 2011-10-09. The update introduces a new XML-based markup language called FXML, which is aimed at defining user interfaces. Other scripting languages, such as Groovy, JRuby and Scala, can also be used to write apps in JavaFX 2.0, as can the Java development tools NetBeans and Eclipse.

^Richard Bair (2012-11-06). "Open Sourcing: decora-compiler". Oracle Corporation. Retrieved 2012-11-24. I'm going to be open sourcing today another one of our projects called decora-compiler. We have our own DSL for shader languages called Decora. What we do is generate shaders for OpenGL and D3D from this language. We also generate Java code and SSE native code. For some shaders, we ended up generating them and then hand-tweaking them from there

^"Oracle Announces Open Source JavaFX for iOS and Android". infoq.com. 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-02-16. Oracle has announced plans to open source the iOS and Android implementations of its JavaFX UI platform "over the next couple of months", allowing developers to use the technology to write cross-platform applications for those platforms for the first time.

^"Will JavaFX technology be released in open source?". Retrieved 2008-06-07. Sun will continue to engage the OpenJFX community as we release JavaFX products. This fall we will be rolling out our open source strategy for JavaFX technology concurrent with the release of version 1 of JavaFX Desktop

^Kaul, Jeet (2008-12-16). "JavaFX&nbsp;— the road ahead". Retrieved 2009-01-03. Sun is committed to open standards and open source, and specifications are coming soon(...)There are some dependencies on licensed code that cannot be open sourced. We are working towards decoupling the dependencies so that the non-proprietary portions can be open sourced. Currently the JavaFX compiler, Netbeans JavaFX plugin and Eclipse JavaFX plugin are already being developed in the open source. The scene graph is out in the open. We will put the core runtime out in the open over time.

^Meyer, David (2011-10-06). "JavaFX 2.0 arrives and heads for open source". ZDNet. Retrieved 2011-10-09. At the event, Oracle also announced plans to make the JavaFX platform open source. It has submitted a proposal to the OpenJDK Community, and its first contribution will include the JavaFX user interface controls and related libraries. "Other JavaFX components are planned to follow in multiple phases," the company said.